Meeting Link
by Alpharionis
Summary: On his path to free Zelda and defeat Ganon, Link meets many citizens of Hyrule. In turn, many people have the chance to meet Link. This story is meant to be a collection of these moments; it will detail the the interactions between Link and the people of Hyrule, all the way from its former King to small farmers in Hateno.
1. The King Greets Link

Keeping track of time on the plateau was a hard, if not impossible task. In his spectral form, King Rhoam didn't exactly have a calendar or watch. Nonetheless, he could definitely feel the date approaching. Maybe it was his status as a spirit, or perhaps as former king, that allowed Rhoam to gather a sense of the magic acting upon the hoisted rock he currently called home—it didn't matter—he had a gut instinct that his daughter's knight was coming.

With this premonition in the back of his mind the old man began a slow trek from his cabin to the Shrine of Resurrection. After one hundred years of waiting Rhoam was finding it hard to refrain from checking the shrine daily; it was only this day in early spring when he saw the door's lights change from a faint orange to a radiant blue. And, after a quick gasp of elated surprise, the old king scrambled back down the hill to start a welcoming fire. Thankfully, he had already set up some firewood in the small corner of rock just down the path from the shrine. Rhoam readied his axe and took a swing at the flint. The sparks caught the logs, and within minutes he had flames. With a smile hidden beneath his great beard, the old man picked some fruit from the nearby tree. One of the boy's favorite baked apples would surely be the perfect way to welcome him back from his slumber, would it not?

Only a few moments passed until the door to the shrine opened with the distinct sound of creaking stone. Out of the door stepped a boy that didn't appear to be a day over seventeen. He was clad in a dirty, tan shirt along with some equally filthy, brown trousers. In spite of the state of his clothes, the boy looked impossibly clean. As he stepped to the edge of the cliff and overlooked the lush lands of Hyrule, the king felt a lump rise in his throat. For what seemed like hours the old man stared at the boy looking out over the plateau. Suddenly, it became clear to King Rhoam. This boy, who was wearing shoddy clothing terribly unfit for a knight, who had just woken up from one hundred years of a restorative coma, was still Hyrule's greatest hope for a future without calamity. Regardless of how little he remembered, and despite the fact he was missing the sword that used to never leave his back, this boy would defeat Ganon. The old man knew in that instant that Link would save his daughter.

…

Four shrines later, and the old man knew his time was fading fast. In the most simplest way, he was deathly afraid. Rhoam had the utmost trust in his former knight, but he was still not sure if he was ready to tell Link the full truth about the history they shared. However, it appeared as if he did not have a choice in the matter. The ethereal, green embers that marked his ghostly form were becoming brighter and brighter, while the image of his body was slowly turning transparent.

As he stood atop his perch on the Temple of Time, Rhoam was able to make out Link's figure on the temple floor below. It seemed that Link was able to decipher the old man's cryptic hint from earlier.

Link approached the statue of the Goddess on the ground floor, unaware that Rhoam observed him from above. The king watched as brilliant rays of light were cast upon Link as he kneeled before Hylia. A glowing, red heart materialized in the air above the boy; the old man watched in awe as it fell toward Link, who promptly absorbed it into his being in a bright flash of red. It was clear that the Goddess had just bestowed upon Link a gift of power. As soon as the heavenly light faded and the temple was left empty, Rhoam finally decided to call out to the boy.

"The blessing of the Goddess has made you that much more resilient, I see...Here I am...get up here—quickly!" Links expression was unreadable as usual.

Within a moment Link joined the old man in the steeple of the temple. His reaction to the man's teleportation from earlier combined with the way he was currently staring at the green wisps surrounding him made it obvious that Link was curious about Rhoam.

"Now then...The time has come to show you who I truly am."

And King Rhoam told his story to Link. He told Link of his position as King of Hyrule, the prophecy of Calamity Ganon, and how this calamity struck one century prior. He recounted the story of the Goddess-blooded princess with a holy power, and her appointed knight wielding the legendary master sword. He explained the excavation of the divine beasts, and the appointed champions of each of Hyrule's major races. And he described the betrayal of the guardians, the destruction of Hyrule Castle and the surrounding towns, the fall, and the resurrection of the appointed knight over one hundred years.

"That knight was none other than you, Link," the king revealed to the astonished boy.

And finally, Rhoam told Link of his trapped daughter, doomed to battle Ganon for over one hundred years, but destined to be freed by her appointed knight.

To the king's great relief, Link did not seem to falter whatsoever when he was finally asked to begin his journey to defeat the calamity. Link had lost his memories during his slumber, but it looked to Rhoam that his sense of duty and responsibility had remained.

Just like that, Link accepted the task thrust unto him without hesitation. Now all that was left for the old man was to point Link toward Kakariko.

...

King Rhoam looked on as Link leapt off the plateau and deployed his new paraglider. Link slowly floated toward the Dueling Peaks, and the king felt himself near the end of his span as a spirit. Of course the old man was slightly uneasy in leaving the mortal world. The fate of his country was riding on a boy of seventeen years. Yet at the same time, Rhoam was comforted by his confidence in one thing:

If anyone had the power to save Hyrule and Zelda, then that person was probably Link.

King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule looked out from the plateau at the evil in his castle one last time before evanescing into nothingness, hopeful for the future of the land.


	2. Link's Dueling Peaks Debut

As Sagessa was walking to the shrine one morning, she caught sight of a young man in tattered clothing emerging from the Dueling Peaks. It was a little unusual to see a Hylian traveling without a horse or mule, especially coming from Central Hyrule. She wondered if his horse had been stolen by bokoblins. Perhaps a guardian scared it away? Central Hyrule was known for its stalker population, she supposed.

Absorbed in her thoughts, Sagessa almost didn't even notice that the boy was now standing next to her. Sagessa broke out of her trance and looked back at him, but was surprised by the expression on his face. If she didn't know any better, she'd have thought she was the first other Hylian he'd ever seen. Still a little flustered, Sagessa spoke up.

"Hi," she tried to say amiably.

"Hello," he replied politely, and promptly turned his attention to the bright shine across the water.

Sagessa smiled. She had found another person interested in the shrines scattered across the continent.

"That shrine only recently started glowing, but it's been there for something like 10,000 years. It sometimes feels like there's a shrine sleeping behind every hill, there's so many of them. Archaeologists get pretty fired up hunting down each one of them, but I haven't got time for mysteries... Still, looking at that glowing light—you do start to see something romantic about the whole endeavor."

After rambling, Sagessa felt a little embarrassed. She hoped she didn't bore the new stranger. When she looked over at him, his gaze was still fixed on the orange light, but she noticed a small smirk on his face.

Suddenly, the boy started wading through the water toward the shrine. Sagessa was mighty confused. Did he want to see it up close or something? She watched him closely until the boy pulled a stone tablet from his belt and pressed it against the black pedestal. In a flash of light, the orange glow at the base of the shrine was replaced by blue. Sagessa's eyes widened. Who was this kid, and how did he change the color of the shrine?

Sagessa watched transfixed as the stone door screeched open and the boy walked into the shrine and just disappeared. Only moments later the sheikah eye on the spire also took on a blue hue, and the young man materialized out of thin air on the shrine platform.

"I'm Link," the boy says with a slight, cheeky smile adorned on his face.

"Sagessa," she replied, unable to get anymore words out.

The two sat there in silence until the woman finally blurted out, "Here, take this!" Sagessa rummaged around in her pack until she settled on a hasty elixir. She presented the bottle to the boy, Link.

"What is it?" he asked with genuine confusion on his visage.

"It's an elixir. You can make elixirs by mixing bugs and other small creatures with monster parts. Most of them are no good for refilling your health, but they can have a lot of unique effects... Some elixirs can increase your speed. Others raise your resistance to extreme temperatures. I'm actually impressed that you've made it this far without any knowledge of elixirs."

Sagessa internally cringed at the last comment. She didn't mean to put the kid down. Thankfully, Link seemed unaffected.

"Well thank you. I'm sure it will come in handy," he said in all seriousness.

Before she even knew it, Link had already left for the stable building. Sagessa knew he wouldn't make it far, though. She chuckled: there appeared to be an overly passionate merchant en route.

…

"Why hello there!" Beedle cried out to the boy in shoddy clothes. Beedle wanted to meet this young man; as one of Hyrule's traveling merchants, he was always on the lookout for new customers.

"Hey! I don't believe I've made your acquaintance! The name's Beedle, but you can call me— Actually, let's just stick with Beedle. But even if you forget my face, you can remember me by my beetle-shaped backpack! Despite these dangerous times, you'll find me traveling all over Hyrule to fulfill your shopping needs."

The boy, for his part, just looked a little stunned. Uh oh. Beedle hoped he hadn't turned off a potential buyer with his enthusiasm.

Ok. Time to start over. Beedle took a deep breath and—wait a second—was that a bladed rhino beetle he smelled?

"Heyyyyyy, do you happen do have a bladed rhino beetle on you by chance?" Beedle stared at the boy scrutinizingly. "Because if you do, boy do I have a good deal for you!"

"What, you mean this thing?" the kid asked as he pulled out a blue colored beetle.

"Yes! That thing!" Beedle was practically jumping for joy. He just had to get this bug! "I'll give you fifty rupees! And this omelette I just made!"

The boy's companion over to the side, who Beedle recognized as Sagessa, decided that now was the time to speak up.

"Link, that's a good deal. I recommend you take it," she said to the blonde.

"Please, listen to your friend! It's a great deal, I promise!"

"Well, I suppose I can give this beetle up to you," Link said, unsure.

"It's a deal then! Here you go!" Beedle hands Link a plate of freshly cooked eggs and a small purple gemstone. "It's a pleasure doing business with you—Link, was it? Anyway, I hope to see on the trails sometime again. Toodaloo~!"

…

Being a stable hand was not the most exhilarating job, but Rensa was plenty happy managing the Dueling Peaks stable with his brother Tasseren. Nonetheless, he was always ready for something interesting to happen around West Necluda. So when the nearby shrine suddenly changed color and both Sagessa and Beedle were giving some attention to a new boy, Rensa has his interest piqued.

Rensa observed the young man in his peripheral vision, trying not to make to too obvious that he was looking. The boy appeared to be eating an omelette and listening to a conversation between another set of twins just a few feet away. From his distance, Rensa was able to make out that they were talking about hunting for treasure.

"I've got the scoop on the great bandit Misko's treasure, and it's great! Listen up, Dak, here's the riddle: '_The little twin steps over the little river. My cave rests above that river's source.'_ I've heard Misko hid gemstones, truffles, and even a legendary sword made out of fire in his own personal hideout!"

Rensa suppressed a chuckle at the twins' antics. It appeared that Prissen and Domidak were chasing legends once again. When Rensa turned back to the boy, he seemed to be tapping away at a glowing slab of rock. Bizzare, he thought.

Whatever. He might as well go and introduce himself.

"Hello there traveler. I run this here stable with my twin brother Tasseren at the desk."

Rensa sat down at the table with the boy and continued.

"Just down the road from here are the paths to Kakariko Village and Hateno Village. Just take the north path to go to Kakariko, and the east for Hateno." This seemed to grab the boy's attention, so he tried to keep talking. "If you don't have a horse yet, the fields here are a good place to tame one. Though I must warn you it takes most people a few days to manage to stay on one's back for more than 10 seconds," Rensa said with a friendly smile.

The boy returned the smile.

"My name is Rensa."

"And mine is Link."

"Well it's nice to meet you Link, feel free to help yourself to anything we have laying around, I'm sure you'll put it to good use."

Link finished up his breakfast and stood up.

"I think I might do just that."

…

It was around dusk now, and Domidak was still working with his twin brother on solving Misko's elusive riddle.

"Do you have a map or something?" he asked his brother. "What kind of river even has a twin, anyway?"

"I don't know bro. But we will solve this puzzle and find the treasure—I know we will!" Prissen responded.

Dom had to admit, this was getting kind of frustrating. He was at the point of chalking this Misko guy up to a myth. That was until, he looked up and saw that kid with the bad clothes from earlier at the stable entrance checking in with Tasseren and Rensa. And on that kid's back…

"Prissen. Look." Domidak pointed at the boy.

"What's up? Yeah, he's got a shiny new horse with him but that's not very special," Dom's brother replied.

"No Pris. Look what's strapped to his back."

The boy dismounted the chestnut colored horse and turned to reveal a bright red flameblade on his backside.

"Oh."

"Yeah. Maybe we got to be more careful to not blabber about our treasure next time."

…

Rensa stood there in shock. This kid had tamed this horse and bonded with it this well all within a single day?

"How...how did you even do this?"

"Well, I fed her some apples and we seemed to like each other so I rode her back," Link said matter-of-factly.

Rensa was at the same time incredulous and fascinated from this "Link" fellow he just met this morning, and decided he wanted to give the young traveler a gift.

"Please, because of your clear natural talent in horse taming, I would love to offer you a bed tonight at the stable, free of charge, along with the costs to saddle and bridle your horse as part of registration."

Link opened his mouth in what was probably a protest but Rensa shut him down before the boy could get a single word out.

"Please, as a gift from Dueling Peaks Stable to you for a display of immense aptitude. Plus, don't pretend you didn't also manage to find Misko's treasure on your first visit here. It would be our pleasure to offer you a free bed."

"Oh, ok, I suppose," Link said humbly, still a little uncomfortable from the exchange.

But Rensa didn't care. This Link kid was the most exciting person he'd met in months, and he wanted to reward the boy even for his entertainment value alone.

Thus, Rensa watched as Link packed up for the night, clearly tired after a long day. He knew it was likely that Link would leave the following morning, but at least Rensa could be happy about helping another traveler.

…

By the time Sagessa woke up, Link was already by the cooking pot roasting a pair of hearty truffles. She sat down in one of the empty seats and kept the boy company as he cooked.

Link took the two truffles out of the pot and handed one to her.

"For you," he said simply. "And," he continued as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a purple rupee, "for that elixir."

"Oh please, thank you very much for the breakfast, but you really don't need to pay me."

"Yes, but I want to pay you anyway," he said with a tone that allowed no further protest.

Sagessa took the rupee and blushed. Link truly was a gentleman. Sagessa looked up, and Link had already chowed down his truffle. Apparently he was a fast eater too. Link quickly got up and mounted his nearby horse.

"Wait, before you leave," Sagella interrupted, "I know you're probably going to Kakariko. I've gathered that much. But what are you going to really do? Big picture, I mean."

"You know the big red pig beast in Hyrule Castle?"

Sagessa nodded, though she'd never heard it described so strangely before.

"I plan on killing it."

With that, Link galloped away on his horse, leaving Sagessa unsure of what to think about that boy who had said so little, but acted so nicely and just promised so much. And so, like every other morning, Sagessa walked toward the shrine and prayed, this time for the newly met Link.


End file.
